Author homes in on Midwest's small-time breweries

Author Anna Blessing has been visiting breweries for her latest book.

Following the trail of farmers and chefs in the Midwest, Anna Blessing has found a passion for all things local. Years of working with business owners, restaurants and chefs piqued her interest in the connections between producers and product.

Watching the number of craft brewers grow, she turned her attention to beer. Specifically focusing on the Great Lakes region, Blessing homed in on 20 of the area's independently owned craft breweries. These forward-thinking local brewers, including Wisconsin's New Glarus, Lakefront Brewery and Central Waters in Amherst, highlight her newest book, "Locally Brewed: Portraits of Craft Breweries from America's Heartland" (Agate, $22.95).

Blessing lives in Chicago with her husband and daughter. She is also the author of 14 editions of the eat.shop city guides and "Locally Grown: Portraits of Artisanal Farmers from America's Heartland."

She talked with us about local beer, the growing connections between brewers and farmers, and how it isn't so easy to define a craft brewer.

Q. Your last book, "Locally Grown," looked at farmers. Your latest book is "Locally Brewed." How did you come to focus your work on writing about the Midwest?

A. I was very interested in the farmer and chef/restaurant connection. That was a natural progression for "Locally Brewed." It was a big difference between farmers and brewers, but as I was talking to farmers along the way, so many were working with brewers growing specialty hops and grains. I was talking to the people growing local food in the Midwest, moving on to the people making beer in the Midwest.

A long time ago we knew the people making our food and beer, and then we didn't. Now we're going back.

Q. How should we define craft brewer?

A. That was the conversation I had throughout the course of doing this book. At the end of the day, it is a very nebulous term. What is craft beer? Where do you draw the line? Is it size, ingredients, intention?

Gosh, the brewers were all over the map in terms of what they said about it. Some said why use the term, it is just beer. Some said let's call it the variety beer movement, because that's what this movement is about, variety. Some people said the size of the brewery didn't matter. Sierra Nevada does one million barrels a year and is still considered craft. It was really about the intention, the priority was about the beer itself, to make quality, fresh, innovative beer.

It is an endless conversation.

Q. What's the biggest push behind the growth of craft brewing?

A. I think it is a lot like the local food movement. I do think the push comes from the chef.

I think in the same way chefs have exposed us to (local food), chefs have been responsible a lot for the beer. Chefs put so much emphasis on local ingredients, and matching their beer and wine list — even their hard alcohol list — uses that same idea. I think that there is kind of this push that came with the local food movement. Once you taste fresh local beer, it is very hard to go back.

Q. How did you determine the 20 breweries featured?

A. I didn't go at it thinking I'd pick the 20 best brewers; that would be ridiculous and not the point of the book. The point was a cross section of the craft brewing industry as it is right now, so I tried to get a range of sizes. I have one small one doing about 1,000 barrels per year, and Bell's (with 216,000 barrels) is the biggest in the book. There are some more established breweries that have been around a longer time and made it through the boom/bust craft brew bubble of the '90s, like Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee.

The book is organized chronologically from oldest to newest. I focused on breweries that are all within the Great Lakes states. There are some that didn't make it into the book; that could make another whole book. I also tried to pick brewers that were really standing out, doing something unique or unusual.

For example, in Chicago, Metropolitan Brewing does only lagers. First of all, most craft brewers don't want to do lagers; it isn't as fun with the hops and all. Then a place like Lakefront Brewery has a lot of firsts, including the first organic and gluten-free. They're very forward-thinking. Jolly Pumpkin in Michigan does all sour beers.

Q. Which brewery tours are worth a drive?

A. I would have to say New Glarus is worth the drive. First of all, for anyone who doesn't live in Wisconsin, you can't get New Glarus. It is definitely worth getting. Plus it is a stunning, beautiful brewery. It is unlike any other brewery I visited, and New Glarus is a cute little town.

I would certainly say it isn't too far of a drive to get to Three Floyds in Indiana. It is just fantastic beer. Zombie Dust is an incredible beer. They're a brewpub and you can buy beer there you can't buy elsewhere.

Q. How does naming play into sales? Any favorite beer names?

A. Deb Carey at New Glarus talked about their history of innovation. When she first came out with Spotted Cow, all of her distributors thought she was insane. 'You're going to put a beer on tap called Spotted Cow?' That is now their best seller.

That has been a change, where these breweries have these funky, crazy fun names. I think with Death Point, distributors were similarly concerned it would affect sales. It proved to be the opposite because the beer quality was really good.

I kind of go back to Three Floyds because I think some of their names are fun and scary (Dark Lord, Apocalypse Cow, Rabbid Rabbit). I also think of Great Lakes Brewing Co., all of their beers have some sort of history reference.

Q. Moody Tongue is one of the newest brewers featured, having just opened in 2013 and distributing only in Illinois. Are you taking a chance featuring such a young brewery?

A. Of course, but what I was trying to focus on is the ones I thought would be around.

Moody Tongue, they are going to have beer at the brewery in April. The reason I took a chance is Jared Rouben.... He was the brewmaster at Goose Island. He'd do things like a farm market beer every week with limited production available at the bar, and then it would be gone. He has such close connections with the food world and he cares a lot about ingredients and locally sourced. I was taking a risk, but Jared has that craft brewing spirit in him and the other thing that matters, which is really making good beer.

Q. Is there an ingredient that is trending right now?

A. I'd say trying to grow hops or barley. That is certainly a trend right now. It is obviously not going to be done to the scale most brewers need, but doing a beer with all Midwest ingredients or things like Lakefront has a really cool beer, Wisconsinite, using all local ingredients. That is certainly a trend. Another trend going, which just gets stronger and stronger, is collaboration between breweries. Making beer together is certainly a trend.

Q. What do we need to know in terms of beer and freshness?

A. The more local it is, the better in terms of freshness.... People need to keep in mind beer is perishable. It cannot be stocked warm on the shelves for weeks on end. Lots of brewers make sure the beer is kept cold; other breweries mark their labels with an expiration date.